GISMO COFFEE & ROASTER

As I pushed open the door with its circular window into Gismo Coffee & Roaster, a sensation of cosy warmness wafted through the air. I felt welcome, and as I stepped further inside the warehouse this feeling was heightened by the Mediterranean-meets-West décor with large ferns and other greenery that add soft green lushness, and plenty of pops of soft turquoise colour.

Homemade Dried Tomato & Cheese was a great antipasto to start with. Served on grilled bread in the style of bruschetta, the rich savoury tomato balanced with tangy feta cheese and aromatic herbs awakened my taste-buds for the dishes to follow.

From the salad options on the menu, I picked Japanese Pumpkin Salad. The pumpkin had been fermented with rich spices and steamed, and served with fresh vegetables and a sprinkling of quinoa and sunflower seeds that give an unexpected crunch to the dish. The delicious mustard-and-miso dressing that comes with this salad is a house signature.

Pick BBQ Cheese Pork Ribs for your main dish, and you’ll hit the bull’s eye. Pork ribs tend to get people salivating already, but this version with cheese added to juicy ribs smothered in aromatic BBQ sauce is like manna from heaven. The meat literally melts in your mouth, so you can devour it before your friends try to sneak a piece of it!

Quench your afternoon thirst with a cooling Butter Fly Pea and Lychee mocktail. Another non-alcohol drink I recommend is Chocolate Caramel & Cornflake, a sinful trio of ingredients that will make cocoa-lovers like me swoon with utter delight.

The finale to my meal of guilty pleasures was Mango Berries Mousse. Mango ice-cream, mascarpone, yoghurt and chunks of fresh mango provided a creamy jumble of refreshing flavours that wasn’t too sweet, and the crunchiness from pistachio and freshly-baked crumble on top added texture. Meal now over, my stomach and taste-buds were very content.